Class C wants to consume more, says a survey
Valor Econômico 03/12/2009
The Brazilian class C wants to consume more, it does not save, but it demands economic stability to put its plans into practice, according to a survey ordered by the advertising agency McCann Erickson released yesterday. The study is the result of one thousand questionnaires applied in the cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Recife, Porto Alegre and Goiânia to couples with a monthly income between R$ 1,000 and R$ 2,000. The age bracket surveyed was from 20 to 65 years of age - 50% men and 50% women. According to the survey, the class C identifies differences of consumption among its class, poor people, high middle class and wealthy people, and it points out a feeling of exclusion, not a financial exclusion, but a behavioral exclusion. "The priority desire of C class today is to consume without worrying and learning how to behave as middle class", explained Aloísio Pinto, vice-president of McCann Erickson. According to the survey, 47% of the people polled identify themselves as low middle class. "They have the need of prioritizing the expenses, they always have some financial holdover, but they do not suffer from lack of food", says Pinto. "It is curious to see that C class wants to consume more, but it does not show the concern of changing class". With regard to savings, only 38% of the people polled said they have such a habit. According to the survey, the saving habit is straightly connected to the age bracket in C class. The older people trend to save more. "In spite of that, 45% of the people affirmed they use the savings account as a current account, several times withdrawing the total amount for the monthly expenses. The amount of people who has no checking account exceeds 30%". When the subject is project of life, economic stability is the item that appears with more strength: 82% of the people surveyed affirm it is a priority and that it is not always associated to a formal job. Among the dreams of consumption of C class is the purchase of a car (preferably a brand new car) is a future project for half of the evaluated people. With regard to the access to credit, 45% prefer to ask people close to them instead of getting it from financial institutions, even though 47% affirm they have already gotten bank loans. Nearly 80% of the people polled affirmed they are ashamed of asking for a loan and 91% point the bureaucracy as the main problem in obtaining credit.